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Belarus border tensions with Ukraine and Lithuania
Summary
A look back at the regional dispute that unfolded around 6 July 2021, after two neighbours confronted Minsk within the same day.
What was happening on Belarus's borders by 6 July 2021? Reports from the preceding days showed Minsk in dispute with two neighbours at once, over arms and over migrants.
On 2 July 2021, Belarus closed its border with Ukraine. President Alexander Lukashenko had claimed that arms were being smuggled into the country in an attempt by "outside powers" to overthrow his regime. He said they had crossed the line and could not be forgiven. Ukraine denied the claims and said that closing the border would make its people suffer.
On the same date, Lithuania declared a state of emergency amid a rise in the number of undocumented migrants crossing from Belarus. The Government of Lithuania accused Lukashenko of deliberately trying to destabilise the country by encouraging and allowing refugees, mostly Syrians, to cross the border.
As of 6 July 2021, the two disputes stood side by side: Kyiv rejecting accusations of arms smuggling, and Vilnius accusing Minsk of letting migrants cross.
